Devastated
by turtlegirl42
Summary: When Dan is shot and paralyzed, his whole way of life is destroyed. Can Rorschach help his friend before it's too late? On temporary hiatus.
1. Shattered

Devastated

By turtlegirl42

**I do not own Watchmen.**

Note: Please review as I enjoy feedback; and with your feedback I can make my fan-fiction more fun and entertaining.

Warning: Contains some violence, gore and swearing.

**Chapter 1: Shattered**

Daniel put his Nite Owl costume on and prepared for another night of patrol. He wondered what he and Rorschach would be up against this time.

He hoped it would be fun.

He didn't know that this night would shatter his life forever.

Rorschach was waiting for him inside Archie.

"Ready, Daniel?" Rorschach asked him.

"Ready as I'll ever be," Dan replied, grinning from ear to ear.

It wasn't too long before Nite Owl and Rorschach encountered several thugs attempting to rob and rape a young woman. Dan and Rorschach, working as a team, quickly knocked them senseless. The lady thanked them and dashed off unharmed.

Dan slapped his hands together in triumph. "Good teamwork," he told Rorschach. "Hurm," Rorschach replied.

The two masked vigilantes began to walk away. As their footsteps echo in the alleyway, a shadow formed out of the darkness. The two fighters had unknowingly missed someone, and he was fuming. These two had foiled their plan—and one of them was going to pay dearly. Which one, though? Decisions, decisions. He had best make his decision soon, however, because they were slowly getting away. The man pulled out his handgun, and made a split-second decision. He aimed at the blundering fool who called himself Nite Owl, his brown, feathery form retreating into the darkness. He removed the safety, making a clicking sound.

He fired.

"Nite Owl, watch out!" Rorschach yelled. He had heard the click of the gun, and saw that his friend was in grave peril. There was about a half-second for Dan to dodge the bullet. It wasn't enough time. Dan let out an anguished cry as the bullet pierced his skin, and he crumpled to the ground. A pool of blood began to form around him.

With a guttural roar, Rorschach rushed at the man who had shot his friend. He deftly dodged several bullets as the man shot at him. Rorschach reached the man and knocked him to the ground, struggling with him furiously. The gun went flying, clattering to the pavement.

Rorschach broke the man's nose with one swift push.

"Hey!" spluttered the man, holding his nose that was now spurting blood. "You broke my &%$# nose! You &%$#!"

Rorschach pulled the man up by the collar, so that they were face-to-face.

"Name," Rorschach growled.

"What?" asked the man, still holding his broken nose.

"Your name! Give me your name!" Rorschach roared.

"Carl. Carl Davis," stuttered the man in fear.

Rorschach let the man's collar go and he slumped to the ground. Rorschach walked over to the gun and picked it up. "You don't deserve to live," he said to the man.

One shot rang out. The man was quickly dead, one shot through the skull. _Only what he deserved_, Rorschach thought.

That job through, Rorschach ran to Nite Owl's side. He was awake now, his moaning sobs echoing through the alleyway.

"Alright, Daniel?" Rorschach asked.

Daniel opened his eyes. Rorschach's ink-blotted face appeared in the center of his blurry vision. He felt so faint, so weak…so much pain…

"I…no, I don't think so…" he heard himself mumble.

"Must take you to hospital," Rorschach said.

"Take me…to…Archie first," Dan rasped.

"Good idea. Stem blood flow, take off Owl Suit, and take you to hospital in Owl Ship." Without further ado, Rorschach picked up Dan and carried him in his arms.

Dan felt vulnerable, weak, and depressed. He had gotten shot… Oh man, how long would he be out of commission? He'd never hear the end of this! Dan couldn't think anymore, however, because he slowly slipped into unconsciousness.

Rorschach reached the Owl Ship, still carrying Dan. Reaching for the first-aid kit, he frowned. He wasn't too good at this sort of thing… He'd have to try, though. There was so much blood… After hesitating, Rorschach removed his gloves so that they wouldn't get ruined.

Laying Dan on his stomach, Rorschach examined the wound. As bullet wounds went, this one was pretty bad. The bullet had gone right through Dan's spine. Rorschach searched, but he could not find the bullet anywhere. _Not good. Not good at all,_ Rorschach thought. He wouldn't be surprised if Dan was –

"Rorschach?" Dan rasped. He had woken up again.

"What, Daniel?"

"Can't…can't…can't…can't…"

"Can't what?"

"I – can't move my legs! Oh god, I can't move them, I can't move them…"

"Calm down," Rorschach said hurriedly. Now he was seriously worried about his friend. "Lost a lot of blood. Don't get upset. Too weak."

But Dan had already lapsed into unconsciousness again.

Rorschach checked the autopilot on Archie. _Good thing Daniel taught me how to drive it,_ he thought.

Archie slowed and stopped in front of a white brick building. They had arrived at the hospital.


	2. Arrival

Devastated

By turtlegirl42

**Chapter 2: Arrival**

After inconspicuously parking Archie in a safe spot a couple blocks away, Rorschach carried Daniel down the street. He moved as quickly as he could, because he knew if Dan didn't get to a hospital soon, he would die. Despite Rorschach's best efforts, Dan was still bleeding profusely. And darn…he was really heavy!

Rorschach entered the hospital unmasked. He was extremely nervous without his face on, but he thought,_ Better this way._ _Protect his identity—and mine this way. _

Walter refused to give the receptionist his name, and took a seat in the waiting room. The nurses wheeled Dan away down one of those hospital corridors that seem to stretch for eternity, its whiteness almost hurting Walter's eyes.

There were several other people with him in this waiting room. There was a father holding a small child in his lap. A young woman, an obese man, and an old couple were also in the room. They all wore worried, anxious looks on their faces. Walter supposed he was not unlike them in that way.

He tried desperately not to think about what happened. _Must not cry_, he thought._ Nothing to be done now. Only thing to do is wait._

Daniel was his only friend. If he died, Walter would never forgive himself.

Walter looked up at the television. The news was on. Nothing to report but death, violence, and destruction. There was no good news to tell.

The world was dying. It was slowly destroying itself bit by bit while everyone pretended it wasn't happening.

Daniel had been caught in the crossfire, shot down when he was needed the most.

Walter waited for what seemed like hours. Exhausted by the eventful patrol and lack of sleep the night before, Walter slept. And he dreamed…

_Rorschach was walking along a dusty dirt path. The wind was strong, threatening to blow off Rorschach's hat occasionally. He didn't know where he was or what he was doing here. There wasn't a soul in sight._

_ Rorschach realized where he was when he saw many headstones looming ahead of him. He entered the cemetery, treading softly through the undisturbed dead._

_ He reached the grave he had been looking for. He set down the flowers he did not know he had been carrying. Rorschach looked at the headstone. It was small, and the headstone read:_

Daniel Dreiburg

1945-1972

It is not length of life, but depth of life.

He jumped into life and never touched bottom.

_Rorschach took his hat off and fell to his knees. He couldn't save Daniel. It was his fault. Daniel was gone, and it was because Rorschach couldn't save him. It was his fault. His fault. His fault. His fault…_

"NO!" Walter startled himself awake, alarming everyone else in the waiting room.

Walter turned red in the face and mumbled, "Sorry, nightmare." Most of the people in the room nodded solemnly and returned to what they had been doing before.

A doctor appeared in the doorway. "Sir?" he asked, pointing to Walter. Walter got up and followed the man to an empty room.

"First of all," the doctor said, "I'd like to thank you. You saved that man's life. If you had gotten here any sooner, he wouldn't have made it. As it was, we had to perform emergency surgery and give him blood transfusions."

"Will he be alright?" Walter asked.

"He's in critical condition right now, but he should recover," the doctor said. "His vitals are stable, but unfortunately he's lost all motor function from the waist down."

The doctor motioned to the doorway with his head.

"Your friend is in the next room. He will be unresponsive, because he is in a medically induced coma. He'll wake up in a couple of days. My advice to you would be to go home and get some rest."

Walter said nothing but walked past the doctor into Dan's room.

Daniel appeared to be asleep in the hospital bed. He actually looked quite peaceful for a man who had just been shot not a couple hours before. There were several machines beside him and an IV right next to his bed. The continuous beeping of a heart monitor was the only sound in the room.

Walter didn't know what to say. Even if he were awake, Daniel wouldn't recognize him without his face on. Walter just stood there for a few minutes, thinking about what was going to happen. Then he said, "Be back soon," and left.

When outside, Walter put his face back on and went off into what was left of the night.

But Rorschach didn't go home. He drove Archie back to the Owl's Nest. Then he picked the lock and let himself inside Daniel's house.

After raiding Daniel's cupboard, Rorschach began to search for an address book. He knew there was one around here somewhere. _Must tell the others_, he thought.

Rorschach didn't have to look long. Daniel's address book was on a stand next to the telephone. _So predictable_, he thought.

Rorschach leafed through the slightly tattered address book. Not too many names in here… Mostly the names of the other masked vigilantes. Comedian… Dr. Manhattan… Hollis Mason… Silk Spectre… wait a minute! Rorschach flipped back several pages.

Hollis Mason… Wasn't Hollis Mason the first Nite Owl? Apparently they were friends of some sort. Rorschach picked up the phone and decided he would call Hollis Mason first.

After five rings, the old man picked up the phone.

"Hello?" Hollis Mason said.

"Hello. Hollis Mason there?" Rorschach asked.

"This _is_ Hollis Mason. What do you want? It's three o'clock in the morning!"

"You know Daniel Dreiburg?"

"Yeah, we're good friends. We meet every Saturday. Why?"

"He was shot. In critical condition right now, should recover."

The other line was silent for nearly a minute.

"Oh, my God. What hospital is he staying at?"

"St. Joseph's Memorial."

"I'll be sure to visit. Poor Daniel… wait, who is this?"

But Rorschach had already hung up.

Rorschach called the rest of the masked vigilantes. Their reactions ranged from shock (Silk Spectre) to mild indifference (Ozymandias, Dr. Manhattan).

That done, Rorschach walked home in the rainy morning air.

Two days later, Daniel Dreiburg woke up.

Note: Thanks to for the epitaph. Thank you for the reviews!


	3. Awakening

**Devastated **

By turtlegirl42

* * *

Chapter 3: Awakening

* * *

Daniel Dreiburg woke up. He groggily reached for his glasses, not even bothering to open his eyes. Hmmm… This stand was _not_ his. And his glasses weren't even there.

Dan opened his eyes. He appeared to be in a hospital room. The room was very small. The white walls and dingy ceiling seemed to be closing in on him. The only other things in his room other than the bed and the stand was a painting of a sailboat—and of course, all the medical equipment.

Dan shook his head. What had happened? Why was he here? He was pretty sure he had been injured in _some_ way; otherwise he wouldn't be in the hospital, right? Dan thought really hard, but it wouldn't come to him. Thinking about something that he couldn't remember was giving him a headache, so he stopped trying to remember.

And as soon as he did that, all the memories came back to him like a bolt of lightning. Dan relived those moments again…

* * *

"Nite Owl! Watch out!" came the anguished cry of his partner. Those few seconds seemed to pass very slowly. It was as though time had slowed down. He turned his head. He saw, out of the corner of his eye, a shadow. He heard a gunshot.

He knew, without even thinking, that it was meant for him.

There wasn't enough time to dodge. Rorschach desperately tried to push Dan out of the way, but there simply wasn't enough time. The bullet bit into Dan's spine. He collapsed on the ground, his eyes staring at the inky black sky. He looks at his hands. They were black, covered with blood. He knew from the excruciating pain in his back that the wound was pretty severe. _Maybe_, Dan thought,_ maybe I am going to die here. Die…_ But, he didn't want to die! It wasn't his time! There was so much in his life he had left to do… He heard Rorschach's footsteps…where was he going? He heard more gunshots, some garbled voices that he couldn't make out. He heard a single, final gunshot. Oh, no. Rorschach had been shot, too? No… No…

* * *

Dan blinked. So he had gotten shot. Oh, god… With a sudden realization, Dan realized that Rorschach had saved his life. Dan glanced at the bedside table again. His glasses weren't there (he had already known that), but there was a stack of papers…or something, on it. Dan reached over…

Oh crap. He still couldn't move his legs. He hoped to god this was temporary paralysis, because if it wasn't… he couldn't think of what would happen if it was permanent. He would be… _NO!_ he thought. _It's just temporary, just temporary._ Anyway, he didn't need the use of his legs to pick up the papers, now did he? He retrieved them easily.

They turned out to be cards, all addressed to Dan in different, various handwriting. _Get well cards, _Dan thought. _How nice._ Dan eagerly opened up the first card. On the front were multiple smiley-faces. The inside read, **"Consider yourself lucky—at least you aren't dead! Get well soon, buddy. ~The Comedian"**

Dan frowned. The Comedian and his so-called humor…that wasn't funny at all.

Dan opened the next card. This card had a simple design on the front, and the inside read, "_I'm awfully sorry to hear about your "accident." I sincerely hope you'll be all right. The city still needs you, and you were always the best man for that job. Hang in there, son. Sincerely, Hollis Mason."_

The other cards basically said the same thing. Dr. Manhattan's card was strange; "_Nite Owl,"_ it said. "_I'm sorry to receive news about the shooting. You should be more careful on the streets. There's always someone out to kill you. Things will turn out all right. In the meantime, rest and regain your strength. ~Jon"_

Dan shook his head. What a weirdo…

The last card Dan opened wasn't even a regular card. It was a postcard of the New York City skyline. The back of the postcard read, "_Daniel. Get better soon. Missing you on patrol. Hope you'll be all right. Will come to visit you again soon. ~R."_

Dan smiled. Out of all of the cards he had received, this one was the most important. Rorschach had saved his life, and Dan wouldn't forget that.

A nurse came in, noticing Daniel was finally awake. "Oh! You're awake," she said. _No duh_, Dan thought. "The doctor will be in with you shortly," she said, and quickly walked out of the room. _Wonder what _**her**_ problem is?_ Dan thought.

The doctor walked in. Dan could tell from his stride that he was proud of his job and what he did. The doctor was tallish, middle-aged, and nearly bald. "Well, well, well. Daniel Dreiburg. You are very, very lucky indeed. If it weren't for that red-haired fellow who brought you here, you'd be dead right now."

'_Red-haired fellow?!?' _Dan thought. _Who could _**that **_be? Probably Rorschach unmasked._

The doctor was still talking, but now he was pacing back and forth. "As it is, you've suffered some spinal damage. It may be irreversible, but we are not sure at this time."

"What about the shooter?" Dan asked. He was a bit in shock about the whole "spinal damage" comment, but he decided to brush it aside. For now.

"Funny you should ask. I was just getting to that. The shooter was found dead, with a shot to the head, not far from where you were shot. It seems that he killed himself after shooting you," the doctor said. _More like Rorschach killed the guy after he shot me_, Dan thought.

After talking for a bit longer, the doctor left. Dan suddenly found that all this thinking and talking had made him tired…

When he woke up again, he knew something was different. He looked around. He knew it, he had just known it~! Rorschach was leaning on a wall, watching Dan. The window was open, blowing blustery autumn air into the room.

"You're awake." Rorschach said bluntly as he walked over to Dan's side. "Was worried you wouldn't wake up."

Daniel smiled. "I'm pretty good, thanks to you. You saved my life, Rorschach."

There was a long pause. Rorschach just stood there, taken aback by Dan's bluntness. Finally, he said, "It was nothing. You would do the same thing, Daniel. That's what partners are for."

"Yeah, you're right. That's what friends are for," Daniel replied.

There was another long pause. Rorschach took out a pack of cigarettes, and pulling up his mask and taking out a cigarette, began to light up.

"No!" Daniel said. "…I mean, don't do that. A nurse could walk in at any time. And besides," Daniel said, pointing at the ceiling, "you'll set off the smoke alarm."

Rorschach grudgingly put away the cigarettes.

"I didn't know you smoked," Dan said.

"Don't usually. Found these in the gutter." Rorschach replied.

"So…" Dan said, eager to change the subject, "…How are patrols going?"

"They're all right. Caught a few petty thieves, stopped a mugger and a rapist. Didn't patrol first couple days, was worried about you." Rorschach went over to the stand. "You found the cards," he stated.

"Yup. You can read the rest of them if you want."

Rorschach read the rest of the cards, finally putting the last one down. "Not bad," he said. "Comedian has twisted sense of humor, though."

Daniel heartily agreed. "You ought to go now," he said, sad to see Rorschach go but knowing he would get caught. "One of those pesky nurses will be in soon."

Rorschach was just about to climb out of the window when he stopped, as if he was forgetting something.

"Almost forgot," he said. "Thought you would want these—picked them up for you." He took something out of his pocket and slipped it into Daniel's hand. Then he climbed out the window without a word.

Dan looked in his hand to see what Rorschach had given him.

It was his glasses, glinting from the sunlight from the still-open window.

* * *

**Author's Note: I borrowed the chapter name from a novel of the same name by Kate Chopin. You may have read it. Feel free to press the wonderful green review button if you liked it (or didn't like it, for that matter). Thank you for reading!**


	4. Visitors

**Devastated**

By turtlegirl42

* * *

**Author's Note:** Sorry for not updating sooner. I've had this written for a while now, but haven't had the time to type it up. I'd like to say thank you to all my faithful readers and a big thank you goes to those who reviewed. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I do writing it.

**Warnings:** There are some sexual references in this chapter (in-character, of course), intended to be humorous.

* * *

Chapter 4—Visitors

* * *

The next two weeks were rather eventful and interesting for Daniel Dreiberg. A steady stream of people visited him during those two weeks. He was rather grateful for this. The hospital was a lonely place, and since he was confined to his room, he was thankful for the ones that came. It was time otherwise spent being extremely bored and depressed. And reading, because Rorschach had brought him some things to read. Day-old newspapers, some books from Dan's house, and some rather crummy novellas. Dan appreciated and looked forward to Rorschach's visits the most because Dan felt he was closest to Rorschach. After all, they were partners, and although they had a strange relationship, Dan considered Rorschach a good friend, if not his best friend. Rorschach visited Dan nearly every day, sometimes more than once a day.

They talked about a great many things during Rorschach's frequent visits. A couple days after Dan woke up, they were discussing the Vietnam War.

"Never should have even entered Vietnam," Rorschach was saying.

"You have a point there," Dan agreed. "But we did win."

"Only because of Dr. Manhattan," Rorschach argued.

"That's also true," Dan said. "I wonder what would have happened if we had lost, though?" he mused. "The world probably wouldn't be the way it is today."

"That is an interesting thought," Rorschach replied. "Although, what's done is done. Guess we'll never know now."

"I know. But still… It would be an interesting debate."

Just then there was a barely audible knock on the door and someone opened it.

Rorschach started to make a mad dash for the window, but when he saw who it was, he sat back and relaxed.

It was Adrian Veidt, also known as Ozymandius.

"Hello, Veidt," Rorschach mumbled.

"Hi, Adrian," Dan said.

"Hello, Daniel." Adrian said. "I was glad to hear you had woken up. For a bit there, we didn't think you would make it." Adrian walked over and clapped Dan on the back. "But they don't call you 'Nite Owl' for nothing, do they? You're a tough cookie."

"Yeah, I suppose," Dan said half-heartedly. Just hearing his vigilante name made him depressed now. He didn't know if he'd ever be able to do superhero work again.

As if reading his mind, Adrian said, "Don't worry, Dan. You'll be back on your feet in no time!"

They chatted for ten minutes, and then Adrian took a look at his watch and started. "Oh!" he said. "I'm afraid I'm going to have to cut this visit short. I'm late for a business meeting. Take care, Daniel," he said, walking out the door.

Rorschach snorted. "Ozymandius," he said. "Great businessman, but worthless vigilante."

Dan had never thought of Adrian Veidt in that way before. "I suppose you're right," he said.

* * *

Another person that came to visit Dan was the Comedian. This time, Dan was alone, trying to rest. The painkillers were wearing off, and Dan was in a lot of pain. The nurses had told the gunshot wound had actually gotten infected, so they would have to keep him longer than they had intended.

Luckily, one of the nurses had given him more painkillers, and Dan was in a drug-induced haze, half asleep, and not quite aware of his surroundings. Everything was _really_ blurry…

"Hey, Owl-boy."

Dan opened his eyes. In front of him was a blurry face. He couldn't even recognize it, but the voice was familiar… He blinked a few times and rubbed his eyes, putting on his glasses. _Ah, that's better_, Dan thought.

In front of him stood the Comedian, who was wearing his usual attire but without his mask.

"Sorry if I woke ya," he said. The Comedian didn't look as though he was sorry one bit.

He took out a cigar. "Mind if I have a smoke?" he asked.

"Um, I really wouldn't—"

The Comedian waved a beefy hand. "Don't worry about it. 'You can't smoke on hospital premises,' the nurses tell me. I say screw 'em."

"Well…" Dan said, knowing what was going to happen.

Sure enough, the smoke alarm went off, its harsh beeping sound filling the room. "WHAT THE HELL?!?" the Comedian exclaimed. Unfortunately for the Comedian, just then the fire sprinklers went off, drenching him in ice-cold water. After cursing some more, the Comedian rapidly de-activated the smoke detector and looked for something to dry himself off with.

Thirty seconds later, a nurse walked in. "What is going on here?!?" she demanded to know.

Dan waved a hand. "Oh, it's…nothing. Really!" he said, noting the nurse's skeptical look. "The fire alarm systems are malfunctioning."

The nurse rolls her eyes. "I'll believe you this time, Mr. Dreiberg," she says resignedly, walking away. A second later she peeked her head in. "Oh, and Mr. Dreiberg? You have a CAT scan scheduled in two hours."

Dan sighed. Now it was _his_ turn to roll his eyes. "_Another_ CAT scan?"

"Yes." The nurse nodded curtly and left.

"Anyway," the Comedian said, acting as though nothing had happened, "feeling any better?"

"I suppose," Daniel said.

"You know," The Comedian said, sitting down, "When I first met you, I thought you were a chicken-assed wuss. But after this…I've rethought my opinion of you. You're one tough son-of-a bitch, Nite Owl."

Dan smiled. He was a bit awed that the Comedian was actually giving him some respect. _Some things do change_, he thought.

The Comedian was turning to leave when he stopped in his tracks. "Oh, I nearly forgot," he said, handing Daniel some magazines, "I want you to have these."

Dan flipped through the magazines. A back issue of _Playboy_ and an one-time issue of _Brooklyn Babes!_. Dan couldn't believe it. _Porn?!?_ He managed to plaster a grin on his face and said, "Thanks."

"Oh, you're welcome," The Comedian said. "I know what it's like to be stuck in the hospital. Or in prison, for that matter."

"Hang in there, Nite Owl," he said as he left.

_That wasn't so bad after all_, Daniel thought.

* * *

Dan ended up giving the porn to Rorschach. Dan had a very low sex drive, and he really wasn't interested in jerking off to naked girls who looked like they were starving themselves.

"Um…Rorschach? Would you be interested in these magazines?"

Rorschach leafed through the porn, giving Daniel a mumbled thank-you before slipping the magazines in his trench coat without a word. _Who knew Rorschach liked porn?_ Dan thought. _Guess I'm always learning something new_.

Although Dan was still in a lot of pain, he slowly began to feel…better. Rorschach still kept him company on most days. Dan appreciated this greatly.

One day, about two and a half weeks after the 'accident' a nurse came in, grinning ear to ear. Dan knew this usually meant testing or blood work, so he shifted in his bed and groaned.

The nurse saw the look on Dan's face and said, "No, no, Mr. Dreiberg! No testing for you today."

Dan hated being called "Mr. Dreiberg," by all the nurses. He was usually only known by "Dan," "Daniel," or more often "Nite Owl." The nurses refused to call him by his first name, though. It was so annoying.

"What is it, then?" Dan asked.

"Well," the nurse said, "you're healed enough now to released. But…" she continued, "your doctor referred you to a physical therapist and you'll be in physical therapy for another week or two. Then you'll be released." After discussing and explaining his new physical therapy program, the nurse left.

Dan leaned back and smiled. Soon, he'd be out of here. Hopefully, the physical therapy would work. His doctor, Dr. Murray, had told him there was a possibility he would be a paraplegic for the rest of his life, but Dan refused to believe that. The physical therapy _would_ work, and then, hopefully sooner than later, he would be back on the streets once more with Rorschach.

Which was all he really wanted.

* * *

**Author's Note:** And so, we come to the end of another chapter. From this point on, things are probably going to get more serious and depressing, and I'm planning on having _waaay_ more angst. Updates may be infrequent, because I'm also writing a crossover at this time (It's called _An Interesting Encounter_, by the way). Anyway, don't forget to review! Thanks for reading!


	5. Homecoming

Chapter 5—Homecoming

* * *

Author's Note: Thank you to user spittlebug for helping me write this chapter and user solarmoon59 in general.

* * *

Daniel Dreiburg sat in the hospital waiting room, staring at nothing while rain beat on the window pane. He was waiting for Rorschach to pick him up.

Physical therapy hadn't helped at all. Well, he could wiggle his big toe a little, but the doctor and therapist had both said the same thing: _You'll probably never walk again_. His life as a masked vigilante was over and he knew it. He couldn't ever go on patrol, let alone walk around on his own two feet.

He wondered what Rorschach thought of all of this. _He probably won't say anything_, Dan thought. His partner was a man of few words, especially when it came to something as touchy and as tragic as this. Dammit all to hell, he hated this. Hated feeling helpless, hated being held down…and what's more, how would he spend all his time now?

Dan was still sitting there, feeling depressed and hating himself, when someone tapped him on the shoulder.

He looked behind him to see a tall, muscular, red-haired man wearing a rather dirty tweed jacket over a suit and tie. "Daniel," he said. "Are you ready to go?"

Nite Owl was shocked. He had assumed that Rorschach would come in unmasked, but he hadn't expected him to look like this. "You're…you're…" he stammered.

"Yes," the homely, red-haired man replied. "Had to go in without face. Would have aroused suspicion. Are you ready, Daniel?" he repeated.

"Yeah, I guess," Dan replied resignedly.

The man Dan knew as Rorschach said nothing more but wheeled his friend out of the hospital and into the rainy afternoon. Rorschach's shoes made squelching sounds in the puddles, and the large wheels of Dan's wheelchair splashed water about the wet pavement. Finally Dan spoke up. "Where are we going, Rorschach?" he asked uneasily.

"Hurm," his companion replied. "You will see."

After being pushed for a few blocks in alleys and through side streets, Rorschach's partner saw, parked behind a building… Archie?!? "Uh…" Dan stammered, "…what's Archie doing here?"

"I do not have a car and your place is too far from the hospital. This is the only way."

Dan submitted a muttered okay, and his friend plucked him from his wheelchair as though he were a ragdoll. Rorschach carried Dan up the ladder and set him down in a seat. "Be back in a few minutes," Rorschach said, descending the rungs of the ladder.

So now Nite Owl was alone in Archie, his pride and joy. But now anxiety pulsed through him. _Now that I'm disabled, who will fix Archie? Who will tune him up from time to time?_ Then Dan just sighed. _It's not going to matter, anyway. My life as a crime-fighting hero is over._

Rorschach came back up, costume on and Dan's folded-up wheelchair in the crook of one arm. "Nite Owl," he said, "I can pilot Owl Ship, but I am assuming you would want to?"

"Yes," Dan said excitedly. He could do this, at least. "Yes, please."

Rorschach got his partner situated and Dan piloted Archie to a quiet stillness. Finally, Dan broke the eerie silence. "I feel so hopeless, Rorschach. This just…sucks. Now my whole way of life is ruined. I'm never going to be able to go on patrol again; hell, I'm not even going to be able to get in and out of bed without help."

Silence pierced the air once more. After a minute, Rorschach replied to Dan's rant. "Daniel," he said. "I know what it is like to feel hopeless."

"You do?"

"Yes, Daniel. I feel it every second, every minute, with every heartbeat. It is the core of my being."

Nite Owl said nothing. Who knew Rorschach could be so philosophical?

"But," his friend continued, "there is also the hope. The truth. This is what keeps me breathing, Daniel; not the hopelessness." He paused. "I think we're almost there, Daniel."

"Yeah," Dan replied, breathless. "Yeah, we are."

* * *

Dan landed the Owl Ship expertly in his basement. "There," he said. "It's all done." Rorschach helped him into his wheelchair and then… Nite Owl swore. "Shit!" he said loudly. "How am I going to get up the stairs now?!? Dammit! Dammit, dammit all to—"

Dan ceased his excessive cursing when his friend placed a hand on his shoulder. "It is fine," Rorschach said. "I will carry you up again."

"Oh, Rorschach, you can't. You've already done so much."

Rorschach didn't reply, but picked up Dan and began to carry him up the stairs. He brought him up to the—what the…? It looked like an elephant had stampeded through his apartment. Dirty dishes were piled in the sink, flies buzzed in circles over overflowed garbage, and muddy footprints were scattered about the kitchen floor. Dan tried hard to hide his anger and disgust. "Three words, Rorschach: WHAT THE HELL."

Seating his friend in his wheelchair, the moody superhero attempted to explain himself. "Didn't have rent. Landlady kicked me out. Decided to stay here while you were in hospital. Sorry about mess."

Dan was fuming. "You're _sorry_, Rorschach? That's not good enough. You just don't do stuff like that. Just—just get out of my house. Just—go away, okay? Go away."

Rorschach left without even closing the door.

* * *

Dan looked around, surveying the kitchen again. He shook his head and wheeled into the living room.

The living room was as he had left it, free of Rorschach's mark except for the couch, which showed telltale signs of a hasty makeshift bed. Dan sighed. It wasn't as though he was upset enough…playing the scene of that night over and over in his mind, hating himself, blaming everything and everyone…

He still couldn't believe it, though. If Rorschach had simply _asked_ Dan… He would have said yes. After all, that's what friends were for. To help each other out.

And that mess… Dan started to get a headache just _thinking_ about how many hours he would waste having to—wait, never mind. Cleaning was on the ever-expanding list of things he couldn't do now.

Dan flicked on the television, flipping through various channels but not finding anything worthy. He turned the television off and chucked the remote on the couch. He closed his eyes and quickly fell asleep.

* * *

Author's Note: Thank you for reading, and please do review!


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